In 216th game, Weiss earns first ejection

CLEVELAND -- It took until the 216th game of his Major League managerial career for the Rockies' Walt Weiss to earn his first ejection.

With the Rockies trailing the Indians, 5-2, in the sixth inning of a game that would finish with that score, Michael Cuddyer began arguing a called third strike from Indians pitcher Corey Kluber, who would finish with 12 strikeouts. Weiss rushed from the dugout, and he and third-base coach Stu Cole pulled Cuddyer away from home-plate umpire John Tumpane.

But as Cole was leading Cuddyer to the dugout, Weiss continued the argument. Tumpane took a few steps up the third-base line, then quickly decided he had heard enough and tossed Weiss.

"I was just trying to keep Cuddy in the game there and just had questions about the strike zone," Weiss said. "That's all."

Cuddyer did not know exactly what his manager did to earn an early end to his night.

"I was yelling, myself," Cuddyer said. "I didn't think it was a strike. He [Tumpane] did. He let me say my piece and we moved on. It's basically as simple as that."

The Rockies would suffer a season-high 15 strikeouts -- seven times looking, including five against Kluber. Cuddyer's was the fifth looking.

The Rockies' previous high for strikeouts in a game this season was 12 on May 13 at Kansas City.

Weiss was ejected at the end of a stretch when the game turned in the Indians' favor. Carlos Gonzalez's two-run shot off Kluber in the top of the fourth had given the Rockies a 2-1 lead. But Rockies starter Juan Nicasio gave up five runs on nine hits, including an Asdrubal Cabrera homer, and didn't escape the bottom of the fifth. Then Kluber pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, with the last two outs on strikeouts.

The Rockies are 2-5 on a nine-game road trip. Friday's was the first of three with the Indians.